Episode 8. Learnings

Some reflections on the rarity of Mark’s experience- and how it’s benefited him not just as a dad, but as an employee.

Mark reflects on his first few months back at work - which have been dogged by illness in the family, leaving him thankful for his understanding colleagues

As Mark heads towards the end of his parental leave, he shares some key learnings from the precious time he’s been spending with his daughter

It’s December, and as Mark starts to prepare for his return to work in the New Year, he reflects on how his everyday acts of caregiving have strengthened his bond with his daughter

It’s October, and Mark maps out the joys and challenges of a life structured around feeding and playing with his baby daughter…and the all-important afternoon nap

It’s August, and Mark gets ready to take over as ‘lead parent’ - as much as one can as the dad of a breastfed baby. He switches off from work mode, and takes his first trip to baby club

It’s Father’s Day and with his new baby already teething at just four months old, we hear how Mark’s coping being back at work… and dealing with ‘second fiddle syndrome’…

The baby arrives, and we hear from Mark about a challenging few weeks supporting his wife’s breastfeeding journey

In this episode, recorded a few days before his new baby's due date, Mark talks about how he and Holly decided who should take the leave and when, and the role that looking after his first son, during the spring 2020 Covid-19 lockdown in England, had in this. He also shares with his hopes and fears about the coming year.

In this first episode, Mark talks about himself and his family, and his plan to take six months' leave - a month when the baby arrives, and the rest in the second half of the year, starting in August 2022. And Jeremy gives us an overview of how rare it is for dads in the UK to take such a long period of leave.